"THE GREENHOUSE."

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 10

"THE GREENHOUSE."

There was a good gathering in First Church Hall on the 13th inst., -when a Ifecturo was given, under the auspices of the Horticultural Society by the president (Mr James Rennie) on " The Greenhouse." • The speaker, in_ opening, pointed out the growing interest in greenhouses, which afforded more favourable conditions for the development of the beautiful than obtained in an open border. A sine qua non for successful cultivation was good turf, and this required discrimination in its selection. The potting shod was also a necessary preliminary for the manufacture of good compost. Sand (washed free from clay) was also essential. Other useful things were wood ash, bone meal, and decayed manure. Turf, sand, and manure were absoutely essential before success in pot plants could be< achieved. The compost he used for plants differed with the variety. A simple compost was two parts cf loam one of manure, and sufficient sand to keep it open.- It was advisable to make the material up some time before using. Wood ash helped the loam to go further. Although his greenhouse had no artificial heat he had been able to keep colour in it in July. For this he relied on chrysanthemums and zonales. To produce zonalev> he adopted two methods. One was to -cut back in December, and when the growth had started to repot. The other way was to start the cuttings as early as possible, and bring them along in four and five inch pots. He regarded zonales as being a class especially suited for beginners. With a little care they might be .made to bloom throughout the whole year. Incidentally, ono of the many advantages accruing to Dunedin from Mr Glendining's gift of the winter gardens was the" knowledge that might be gained' by a visit in the winter season as to the class of plants that should bo grown then. Even though they might - have " heat " there, the man without heating apparatus could follow the same lines, only his blooms would come latex. He had had great success with growing bulbs in fibre. A little charcoal was placed in the bottom of a pot, th/Q fibre put in and kept damp. The bulbs he found flowered beautifully in the spring. In the same season of spring he - had a. great showing of Marecha! NieJ roses. He found it best to be content with one crop a year, and therefore cut the plant back ruthlessly after flowering. By this method every bloom might be got in a perfect state. For_ the summer a favourite was the pelargonium, which was a fine plant for the amateur. The begonia was also a favourite, and had a large following. It almost needed expert handling. He had once achieved a fine success with carnations potted for the spring. The flowers were splendid. The speaker then completed the round of the seasons so far as flowering plants were concerned by referring to which provided a bright display for three months in the year. He next turned to the foliage plants/ and referred to maidenhair, asparagus, and smilax. The firstnamed was very difficult to cultivate. A contrivance he had found very useful was a propagator. This was a box of zinc 4ft Dy 2ft and 4in deep. Beneath this he had a, small lamp which boated the water. He had found this a most valuable auxiliary in bringing on seeds and cuttings, and had been able to cultivate pretty well anything he. desired. To beginners he would sav. " Start slowly." They might start with pelargoniums and advance gradually. •He had found growing in himself an inordinate desire for securing some new thimcr for his greenhouse, but there was always a middle course. Mr Hamel added «>me valuable hints on various points of the lecture. Ventilation was a very essential thing for attainimg success. Other speakers also added some remarks, and a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the lecturers.